Father James Thaki Ordained to the Priesthood
By Kati Dijane – Despite the grey, rainy weather, Christ the King Cathedral was packed with friends, families and members of various parishes across the Archdioceses of Johannesburg and Pretoria to witness the priestly ordination of Father James Thaki on December 21.
Moments before Mass the nervous, yet excited soon-to-be priest expressed his joy and gratitude for the day he had waited for since entering the seminary. He said what he looked forward to the most as a priest is serving the people of God and helping them grow in faith and have a relationship with God.
During Mass, the main celebrant, Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, was joined on the altar by several deacons and priests, including the vicar for vocations, Fr Michael Seheri, and the rector of St John Vianney Seminary, Fr Ncedo Siwundla.
Leading the Mass musically was the choir from St Philip Neri in Soweto. In his homily, the archbishop mentioned that the celebration of the ordination gave one an opportunity to reflect on the nature and mission of the Catholic priesthood. He added that priests are ordained in order to imitate Jesus Christ who brought the Good News to the poor and the broken in spirit. “We, priests, as mediators, are directed to bring the faithful closer to Christ, the Good Shepherd whose kingship we know by name. And so, we too are to imitate Christ and know the communities we serve by name,” he continued, adding that priests must prolong Christ’s presence among people.
Before the final blessing, the newly ordained Fr Thaki thanked everyone for attending the event. After Mass, Fr Seheri said he was happy to attend the ordination and urged young men to consider joining the priesthood, as the Church is in need of more priests. Fr Siwundla added that he was happy to witness one of his students making it as a priest. He also echoed Fr Seheri’s plea to young men to help increase the number of priests in Southern Africa.
Meanwhile, some of the deacons, including Azola Mbeki from Kokstad Diocese, Bongani Mahlangu from Pretoria Archdiocese and Thalente Magcaba from Marianhill Diocese, who were Fr Thaki’s classmates at the seminary, said they came to support him and witness a priestly ordination, which has hyped them up for their own big celebration.
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